Alan Newhouse plays viola for the Community Orchestra of Southern Maryland In Concert [COSMIC]. He played in The McLean Symphony from 1978 as a violinist and from 1987 as violist and as the principal viola since 1990 until he moved to southern Maryland in 1999. He has also played for the Friday Morning Music Club Chorale orchestra and freelances extensively.
As a youth he studied violin with Lillian Schell, herself a pupil of Leopold Auer. While in high school, he played French Horn, Saxophone, and other instruments in school ensembles as well as violin. He played in a number of "dance" and what are now called "stage" bands performing on Baritone and Alto Saxophones, Piano, Vibraphones and Trombone. He also sang in a number of school ensembles of various size and composition including the male octet "The Millburnaires"
While attending Cornell University he sang in a co-ed ensemble "The Cornellaires". [where he met his wife!]
After coming to the Washington area in 1960, Alan has played violin for the Montgomery College and American University Orchestras and has sung with the University of Maryland Chorus, The Inter-American Chamber Singers and Continuum. He retired from the Washington Men's Camerata and the River Road Unitarian Church choir. He developed an interest in early music and plays recorder and viola da gamba and other early instruments.
He plays viola for the Community Orchestra of Southern Maryland in Concert[COSMIC]. He is also the Choir Director for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southern Maryland.
He has composed a number of works for chorus and for instruments [early and modern]. The McLean Symphony has performed five works composed by Newhouse:Creation Myths [in 4 movements] (1981) Movement 1, Movement 2, Movement 3, Movement 4, Voces Aevi Prisci [in three Movements] (1984, 1997) Movement 1,Movement 2, Movement 3, Runa Kamaj (1985, 1994), Praxis (1988, 1992) and Nine Brass (1990). The first two were for full orchestra and the latter three were for small ensembles. His String Quartet has been played extensively by various DC area quartets.
Choral works that have been performed are 6 songs from Creation Myths [text by the late Rev Jim Curtis] Song2, Song3, Song 4, Song 7, Song 11, Song 13, and several other works How Rare It Is,and On Spring performed by Members of the River Road Unitarian Church Choir.He collaborated with local composer Jo Lombard in a major work for chorus and orchestra "Lament and Reconciliation"which was performed in October 1991 by the McLean Symphony and by the Friday Morning Music Club Chorale and Orchestra in May 1993.
Most recently the Friday Morning Music Club Chorale and Orchestra performed his cantata "Epiphany " in January 2002. His most recent choral works "Join the Celebration" [April 2002] for chorus, children's choir and accompanying ensemble; "The Spirit of This Church is Love" [ May 2003]; "Decade" [May 2003], and Welcome [2005], and Goodbye [June 2004] [May 2003] for a capella choir were performed by the Choir of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southern Maryland.